Novel potato package



United States Patent 3,047,403 NOVEL PDTATU PACKAGE William C. McConnell, Pittsburgh, Pa, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company No Drawing. Filed May 21, 1959, Ser. No. 814,684 2 Claims. (Cl. 99-454) This invention deals with the packaging of edible roots, especially potatoes and like tubers.

Potatoes, for example, during storage and prior to processing and/or consumption sprout. This sprouting can be of a magnitude sufficient to destroy or seriously impair the eating and processing value of the potatoes. The potato industry annually suffers appreciable losses because of sprouting. Retarding potato sprouting thus offers the advantage of preserving eating and processing qualities of those potatoes which are stored and packaged for appreciable periods.

-According to this invention, edible roots, particularly potatoes or like multisprouting tubers, are packaged in appropriate containers treated with isopropyl N3-chlorophenylcarbarnate. When so packaged, potato sprouting is inhibited or substantially retarded. The length of time the potatoes may be kept in such packages prior to processing or eating Without detrimental sprouting is extended considerably. Moreover, compared to the savings effected by the inhibition of sprouting, the cost and amount of isopropyl N-3-chlorophenylcarbamate employed in packaging materials is quite small.

Only small amounts of isopropyl N-B-chlorophenylcarbamate, constituting but a very minor weight portion of the packaging material, need be employed in treating the packaging material or package. A typical one bushel potatosack may be treated with as little as about 0.5 gram of isopropyl N-3-chlorophenylcarbamate. Larger amounts are naturally within contemplation.

The method of treating the packaging materials or package is variable. Any procedure which provides isopropyl N-3 -chlorophenylcarbamate in appropriate amounts on the package suifices. Treatment may be either before or after formation of the packaging materials.

Typically, the carbamate is applied to the packaging material as an aqueous dispersion or solution. Aqueous solutions or dispersions most useful are of the type provided by a composition of the carbamate, water and a water soluble solvent tor the carbamate, usually an organic oxygen containing solvent, such as alcohols, e.g., methanol, ethanol, isopropanol or the like; or ketones such as acetone or methyl isobutyl ketone. Suflicient alcohol or ketone is present to insure complete solution of the carbamate. Usually in these aqueous compositions the carbamate concentration is from about 1 to percent by weight but may range up to the carbama-tes maximum solubility.

Effective treatment of the packaging materials may simply involve immersion in the solution. By controlling the period of time during which the material is immersed in the solution, sufiicient pickup of solution is attained to provide the desired car-bamate'content. Thereafter, excess solution may be removed as by squeezing or shaking and the treated material dried, for example, by contact with heated air at temperatures of 50C. to 150 C.

Besides immersion type treatments, isopropyl N-3-chlorophenylcar-bamate may be applied to packaging materials by spraying, roller coating, or like techniques for coating or impregnating.

in lieu of using aqueous solutions as coating or impregnating compositions, aqueous dispersions or organic solutions may be employed. An appropriate aqueous dispersion of the carbamate is provided from, for example, a solution of the carbamate in organic solvents such as kerosene, xylene or other comparable hydrocarbon,

3,047,403 Patented July 31, 1962 "ice 2 notably aromatic hydrocarbon, solvents. The amount and specific solvent should be sufficient to establish an organic solution having a density substantially (e.g., with :5 percent) the same as the density of water. This organic solution is then mixed with water, preferably with a surface active or wetting agent present, to produce the emulsifiable system. Suitable wetting agents are sodium alkylaryl sulfonates, sulfonated dicarboxylic acid esters such as dioctyl sodium sul-f-osuccinate, alkyl naphthalene 'sulfonic acids and the like. A Wide range of carbamate concentrations in the emulsifi-able system are possible. Carbamate concentrations generally are from about 5 to 20 or even approximately 30 percent by weight in these emulsifiable systems. Such systems are then diluted with Water, usually to an extent that the carbamate concentration is 0.1 to 5 or even 10 percent by weight.

These emulsions are applied to packaging materials by any of the general techniques for coating or impregnating which include immersion, roller coating and spraying. Materials thus treated are conditioned to remove excess liquid and generallyto volatilize the organic components as by hot air drying.

It is also possible to treat packaging materials with solid compositions of isopropyl N-3-chlorophenylcarbamate. Thus, solid compositions of the carbamate provided, by way of example, by spraying the carbamate onto a highly absorbent or finely divided inert solid diluent such as highly absorptive silica or clay, talc, bentonite, diatoms.- ceous earth, chalk, wood flower and the like may be dusted onto the packaging material, preferably while the packaging material is moistened with water or treated with an adhesive for facilitating the solid composition.

Packaging materials prepared in this manner are then converted into appropriate bags, sacks, cardboard or wooden boxes of suitable size and shape and filled with the tubers. The result is a container which envelops the tubers packaged therein. Typically employed packages have a capacity of about 0.2 up to about 3 bushels of potatoes or like edible roots. After the packages are filled with tubers, they are sealed or otherwise closed to provide a package comprised principally of packaging materials treated with isopropyl N-3-chlorophenylcarbamate and containing the edible roots such as potatoes. Potatoes packaged in this manner evidence a prolonged dormancy or retarded mitosis (a significantly retarded rate of sprouting). As previously indicated, packages treated and containing but small amounts of the isopropyl N-3-chlorophenylcarbamate are useful. =Best results accrue when the surfaces of the packaging material or packages in closest proximity to the tubers contain the appropriate dosage of carbamate. *It is more effective for the interior surfaces of the package to be treated with a given amount of carbamate rather than the entire packaging material (inner and outer surfaces) with the same amount of carbamate.

The requisite amount of carbamate basis the weight of packaging material or container exclusive of the tuber is so small as not to appreciably alter the package weight.

Thus, a properly treated container may contain as little as 0.01 percent by weight of the carbamate. The following example illustrates the manner in which the present invention is practiced:

Example I An organic solution of isopropyl N-3-chlorophenylcarbamate of the following composition is prepared.

Polyoxalene esters of mixed fatty and resin acids (surface active agent) 1.52

An unsealed burlap potato sack having a capacity of about three bushels of potatoes is immersed in this liquid formulation at 25 C. for about 10 minutes. After removing from the solution, the excess liquid is allowed to drain off and back into the liquid formulation with some shaking to free adhering excess liquid. Air at a temperature of 75 C. is then passed over the sack to dry it to the point where it is dry to the touch.

Approximately three bushels of potatoes are then placed in this treated sack and the opening sealed by sewing. After many months of storage in this bag, the potatoes show a remarkably decreased amount of sprouting by comparison with potatoes stored in an untreated sack.

It will be appreciated that any of a wide number of packaging materials and packages or containers suitable for or used for the packaging of edible roots and especially tubers like potatoes, sweet potatoes and yarns are useful. Thus, packaging materials provided by weaving, sheeting or otherwise forming burlap, sisal, hemp, cotton, Wood, cardboard, paper, synthetic sheeting materials such as polyethylene, cellophane and Saran, etc., are effectively treated in the described manner to provide packages for the tubers.

The invention herein described is applicable both to packages of the type used primarily in the storage of tubers as Well as packages employed for display and direct sale in retail stores to the consumer.

While the multisprout edible tubers such as potatoes,

A, sweet potatoes and yarns are especially damaged by sprouting and hence more usually treated in accordance herewith, other edible roots such as beets, carrots, turnips, rutabagas and radishes also are beneficially packaged.

It will be understood that while the present invention has been described With reference to specific details of certain embodiments that it is not intended it should be construed as being limited to such specific details except insofar asthey appear in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A package comprising a container with potatoes therein, said container being comprised of packaging material containing an amount of at least 0.01 percent isopropyl N-3-chlorophenylcarbamate by Weight suflicient to retard sprouting of the potatoes.

2. A package comprising a container with potatoes therein, said container comprising packaging material treated with an amount of isopropyl N-3-chlorophenylcarbamate equal to at least 0.5 gram per bushel of the packaged potatoes and sufiicient to retard sprouting of the potatoes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,341,867 Hitchcock et al Feb. 15, 1944 2,695,225 Witman Nov. 23, 1954 2,722,483 Winkler Nov. 1, 1955 2,784,071 Garman et al. Mar. 5, 1957 

1.A PACKAGE COMPRISING A CONTAINER WITH POTATOES THEREIN, SAID CONTAINER BEING COMPRISED OF PACKAGING MATERIAL CONTAINING AN AMOUNT OF AT LEAST 0.01 PERCENT ISOPROPYL N-3-CHLOROPHENYLCARBAMATE BY WEIGHT SUFFICIENT TO RETARD SPROUTING OF THE POTATOES. 